Jillian Mak

I am a wife, parent, and educator. Being a parent has made the biggest impact on my life (I say this with a 4 month old on my lap and a 5 year old singing The Star Spangled Banner in his room). All of my decisions are made with being a parent in mind. It is who I am.

As a young girl I entered college with little direction. I knew I wanted a career where I would be able to talk with people (maybe even teach), but I was unsure. I enrolled in Northeastern University and received a BS in Communication with a minor in Art. I was ready to take on the world!

Easier said then done! I was lost for awhile, with absolutely no direction. Unfortunately, telling credit card companies that you have no direction does not stop the bills from coming.

I decided to go on a job interview for an assistant teacher job in a local daycare. Right away I knew I would have a blast working there. Those angelic faces and toothy smiles! What I did not realize was that I would be inspired by those beautiful faces looking up at me. It was not a toss away job that meant nothing. It was an honor and priviledge to work with these young children. My actions and my words had an enormous impact on their lives.

It was the greatest job I could ever have and I was having an affect on these little lives.

After working for a few months I decided to return to school and earn my MA in Early Childhood Education.

Each year I continued to grow and learn, gaining experience with children from birth through third grade. I went from being an assistant to being a head teacher. I moved on to work in administration and finally became a director of a daycare/preschool/kindergarten/aftercare.

During the course of this journey I had two beautiful boys that became my world, my everything. I learn from them each day and I wouldn't change that for the world.

When I began my career teaching young children I realized the importance of a child's early years, but it was not until I became a mother that I realized how crucial parent-teacher communication really is. It takes a village to raise a child and parents and teachers need a strong community to share and learn from to accomplish this. With technology right at our fingertips we can accomplish this!